Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Far Rockaway to get new $19.1M library

The City University of New York has scuttled plans for a college in the Rockaways, but Queens Borough President Helen Marshall - one of its major supporters - has decided to make it up to the peninsula by promising to build a new library.

Marshall has authorized $19.1 million to fund a new Far Rockaway branch, which will more than double the size of the present building, the Daily News has learned.

"Libraries, schools and parks - those are the things we should be spending money on," Marshall said. "We're going to give them a new state-of-the-art facility."

Marshall had made "CUNY by the Sea" one of her main goals during her term, mentioning it during her State of the Borough address and allocating several million dollars.

The project would have created a CUNY minicampus, with continuing education classes.

University officials abruptly pulled out of the project recently, citing their own fiscal problems.


Sea change in Rockaways to bring library instead of CUNY campus

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good news -- I applaud the refitting of a handsome building from the Art Moderne era.

www.forgotten-ny.com

Anonymous said...

Putting a library in Far Rockaway is like having at wet bar at a Mormons convention.

Anonymous said...

You are a racist commentator #2. All the kids in Far Rockaway need is access to education. The internet and multimedia learning are changing the world and keeping kids off of streets. Welcome to the 21st century where black people are allowed to learn how to read without being looked down on for it.